A Bit of a Conundrum
by Miss Artemis
Summary: (AU) After a particularly nasty prank, Thor proves that Loki is not the only one in the family to have a trace of mischief in him. How doth fare the God of Lies when confronted with thy fair Lady Jane, Goddess of Truth? Jane x Loki, Sif x Thor


**A Bit of a Conundrum**

SUMMARY: (AU) After a particularly nasty prank, Thor proves that Loki is not the only one in the family to have a trace of mischief in him. How doth fare the God of Lies when confronted with thy fair Lady Jane, Goddess of Truth?

* * *

It was mid-afternoon in Asgard of the Eternal Realm. The skies were speckled with passing nebulas and bright stars. The waters calm and tranquil amongst the soft breeze that floated by. The air held a pleasant, almost balmy, feel. A little further away from the glorious metropolis of the golden kingdom, out into the rolling hills at the base of the high mountains, and amongst twisting paths laid a quaint yet enchanting cottage. The simplicity of its design brought out the beauty of the small home.

Exotic birds flew about the bird feeders, their beautiful plumes glinting off the pale yellow beams of the sun. In a nearby barn, built with the same simple design as the cottage, yielded many gorgeous horses of a variety of colors: black, brown, white, gold, and gray. All of them softly neighed as they nibbled away at the haystacks in their appropriate stalls.

The meadow surrounding the cottage, only interrupted by the cobblestone path, was filled with herbs and flowers. The tranquility of the scene was interrupted by a deep baritone scream of frustration followed by an unsuspecting crack of thunder that echoed around the area.

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!"

"Thor, calm down! Please!"

The young man, golden stubble outlining his jaw, raised Mjolnir to the sky. The winds picked up and the skies darkened with ominous, swirling clouds. Lightning crackled in the sky, highlighting the clouds and Thor's crimson cape, and casting shadows as the light consumed the area. A female voice cried out in surprise mixed with dismay when the lightning descended from the sky with tremendous power, made contact with Thor's mighty hammer, and was promptly redirected into a nearby tall cedar tree. The poor tree exploded into flying bits of charred bark and splinters. Random pieces of bark caught on fire were promptly put out with a pitch of water.

A small wisp of a female whirled around with a venomous glare that did nothing to make her look threatening to the tall, muscular man before her. Thanks to the winds from before, stray strands of mahogany escaped from the braid that wrapped around her head like a wreath. Her wind-swept side bangs fluttered with the calming breeze. Amber eyes flashed,

"THOR! Will you stop it!? My parents will petition to kill you if you destroy any more of their property, prince of Asgard or not!"

Sheepishly, the crown prince and first heir had the decency to rub the back of his head in shame. His bright, baby blue eyes implored her with a small smile for forgiveness. She promptly squashed her initial compassionate instincts with vehemence – after all, it was not _his_ butt on the line.

"I apologize, fair Lady Jane –"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh! Don't you 'fair Lady Jane' me, Thor. That won't work on me anymore. You lost any sympathy from me after you destroyed _my_ garden bed."

"I restored it, did I not? It is twice the size as it was before and might I say even better."

"So…you're saying that my gardening skills are inadequate, Prince Thor?"

Amber eyes glinted mischievously as Jane sat back down on her boulder. Her plum-colored silks were gathered to the side, pooling around her feet. Since Thor turned around to pick up Mjolnir from the ground from whence he dropped it, the prince did not see the look he had seen too many times on his brother's face to mistake it.

"Of course!" he replied immediately, unable to ignore the tug in his chest. He whirled around in shock just as Jane giggled aloud, her hand raised up in vain to smother it.

"Jane, no! I do n –" Thor suddenly found himself unable to stop speaking in gibberish. He glared at his friend as she dropped the pretence and laughed freely. Her light, gay laughter brought a reluctant smile to Thor's quickly maturing face before his eyes reflected the smile as well, whole-heartedly.

"I believed it in need for remodeling," he admitted, politely. Jane's laughter resided to small giggles to an eventual, soft smile. The earlier anger on her face was gone without a trace. The pent-up anger and frustration that had been clutching at him all day had simmered down to a manageable level for the well-known hot-head. With a groan of exasperation, Thor plopped himself down roughly on the sweet smelling grass, Mjolner beside him.

"What is the matter, Thor?"

"You women are just as troublesome as my brother," he answered immediately. Jane stuck her tongue out.

"No, you idiot. What has caused you to be so upset?" Her eyes widened, "Did someone ask Sif to the ball?"

Jane pursed her lips in admonishment when Thor's head snapped up at her, almost painfully fast. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"Sif? What has she got to do with anything?"

Funny how he focused on the part about Sif, but completely forgot about the rest. She internally rolled her eyes at his daftness. Sif has quite the oaf on her hands. Jane shook her head in exasperation, a fond smile tugging on the corners of her lips. Rather adorable, but painstakingly ignorant all the same.

"Nothing, nothing. I think you mentioned your brother? What did he do now?"

Thor growled and, to Jane's wonderment, _blushed_. Her greatest weakness, her curiosity, reared its head. It took a great deal to make Thor embarrassed to the point of _blushing_. He was a very proud man – much like the All-Father himself. If he got embarrassed, he yelled, destroyed things, and got even. Too many times has Asgard seen the beautiful skies be temporarily transformed into angry thunderstorms because of his temper. He was a good-natured, gallant, and strong warrior. It was utterly apparent to all that he cared about his people. But Jane would be one of the few people to acknowledge the fact that he did not handle things well that were close to his heart.

But this was a new development. The mighty Thor blushing.

Jane found herself wanting to meet this brother of his…this Loki. She tested the name on her tongue, silently to herself. _Loki_. It was a strange name, but strong. And for some reason, sounded utterly right. Jane turned her attention back to the man before her and smiled in sympathy as his words jumbled together into nonsensical sounds.

"Just tell me the truth, Thor. I will not judge you," she interrupted him in soft reassurance.

Thor peered up at her uncertainly before he cleared his throat and replied as strongly as possible, in hopes of covering his humiliation,

"As you know, Lady Jane, Loki has always been talented in magic. His personality is one of mischief and he delights in his tricks. Particularly when they are aimed at me."

"I know that too well," she agreed, her mind flashing back to the garden, three cedar trees, and some of the crop fields that had faced his wrath.

"It is nothing new to me, having grown up with him. But, uh…well…he might have changed my appearance without my notice."

"_Might_?"

He paused, cheeks flushing once again.

"Oh, for Valhalla's sake, Thor! Just spit it out!"

"Blast it, woman," he hissed. "After last night's feast, he made me look like a silly handmaid! And Hogun might have gotten close and intimate with me than I ever wished for him to be! Before the spell wore off and I was able to throw him off. I'd rather not talk about."

A few tell-tale snickers were the only warnings he got before she peeled into laughter. He angrily punched the ground beside him, causing a fist-sized hole.

"Stop it! There is nothing to laugh at," he boomed as Jane teetered dangerously upon the boulder she sat upon, tears gliding down her cheeks with her laughter.

She eventually gasped for air, "Did he do anything…inappropriate?"

Jane broke out into another round of laughter when Thor tried to lie to her, his angry voice making absolutely no sense. When both managed to settle down, Thor continued on quietly.

"Sif might have been there at the end, when the illusion had disappeared."

"Oh my," Jane felt a stab of sympathy for her lady friend, whom must be nursing a confused and broken heart after witnessing her target of affection doing…_things_…with another male. Hogan at that! If it were not for the fact that now Sif's emotional well-being was at stake, Jane would have found the situation completely hilarious. Well, maybe in a couple of months when everything was straightened out.

"She had looked aghast," he whispered. His big blue eyes pierced her own and Jane's heart melted at the fear she saw. "Does she think less of me, Jane? Does she think that I…that I enjoy the company of men?"

"As far as I know, Sif does not harbor ill-will towards those whom favor the same gender. Maybe she was just shocked? After all, you, Loki, Sif, Hogun, and Fandral have grown up together, fought together for so long. She might have been hurt that you did not tell her the truth."

"I would never lie –" Thor started, then roared in annoyance. Jane wisely kept her giggles to herself this time. "_There is nothing between Hogun and I_! Hogun was unbelievably drunk and I was a victim of Loki's prank! I am very much into the company of women," he added, miffed.

"Those whom feel that they have to say it aloud, are only trying to prove it to themselves."

Jane stuck her tongue out at Thor in jest when he opened his mouth.

"…When you say the company of women, does that include Sif?"

Thor threw his head back and laughed, the booming sound echoing around them. Jane stared at him quizzically, her dark eyebrows furrowed.

"Sif is not a girl, Lady Jane!"

Jane frowned at him, "What do you think is beneath that special chest plate of hers? Pillows?"

Thor blinked. "E-Excuse me?"

"Sif may be a warrior, but she is _all woman_." Jane declared boldly, enjoying the frank discomfort on his face. He shifted uneasily in his spot.

"I do not understand why we are even talking about her –"

"See? Her, not he or it."

"– when my brother is the main reason for my distress," he continued on as if she had not interrupted.

Jane sighed, standing up with the pitcher in hand. Thor followed her, Mjolnir in hand. The two made their way to the turning water mill beside the cottage, the sounds of lapping water filling the space around them.

"You remain to be Loki's target because you are allowing him to, Thor." She proceeded to gather a pitcher's worth and, gathering her drapes, walked to the nearby garden with Thor hot on her heels.

"I do not."

"You do so! Why else do you think Loki continues to enjoy torturing you? Why do you not retaliate? Valhalla and All-Father knows you can."

"Mother has forbidden any form of fighting. Especially after the incident when we broke her favorite vase. She is still upset with us to this day…"

"But why obey when it is clear that Loki is not? You need to learn subterfuge, Thor. Or else your very, _very_ long life is going to be filled with nothing but misery."

Thor sighed in acknowledgment. His bright eyes were deep in thought as he watched Jane effortlessly untangle weeds and throw them into the rubbish bin. She walked ahead of him, her steps graceful and light upon the stepping stones. The sun's warm, yellow rays brought out the red in her mahogany tresses and made her skin glow. Her eyes, warm amber, shined beneath dark eyelashes. It warmed his heart seeing her this content. She could be happier, but it was joyous to see her like this all the same.

Being the Goddess of Truth has its consequences, after all.

He remembered her as a wee little girl in the academy, always buried in her books. Just a tiny thing – incredibly intelligent with no amount of strength in her beyond the average Aesir strength one was granted after eating the life-giving apples. She was obviously not a warrior. But she had a fire to her, fair Lady Jane did. Due to her gift of honesty, Jane had not settled for anything less than the truth – especially when others tried to lie to her.

Although not a very shy girl at heart, Jane had suffered from a childhood riddled with misunderstanding and an incapability of restraining her talent. Thusly, she had gained little acceptance from her peers. It had made her withdrawn from society despite the fact some of her old tormentors had even apologized (at his…encouragement).

It was a wonder she had any friends at all, despite the wonderful person she was. When Lady Jane cared, she cared deeply with an intensity that not many were capable of. So driven and private was she that it was just tough to see. One had to go beyond the walls to see the true person beneath.

It reminded him a lot of Loki, actually.

Thor paused, his mind slowly picking up speed. He watched as she magically gathered the water out of the pitcher and spread it out around her before flicking her wrist, causing the water to fall like raindrops.

She and Loki were both incredibly intelligent, loved learning about the stars, were master sorcerers in their respective fields, and had similar priorities and beliefs. Although Loki may be more devilish and dark, Jane had an edge about her in spite of her naturally caring nature. Both have had a lonely childhood, causing both to be a bit standoffish. But when favor was won, their loyalty was unshakeable. The more he thought about it, the more Thor felt something akin to anticipation coil in his muscles.

Maybe it was time that they met.

Excusing himself from her presence, Thor could not resist looking over his shoulder and grinning at Jane's turned back. He called out to her, causing her to pause and look at him.

"By the way, fair Lady Jane, you shall accompany me to the Summer Solstice ball 'morrow evening. Formal dress," he added with a playful wink. He chuckled deeply in his throat at her shrill cries that ringed in his ears even after he flew away back to the palace.

Subterfuge, indeed.

Back at the cottage, Jane tucked away her once again wind-swept bangs. She worried her bottom lip in a sudden surge of insecurity at the prospects of tomorrow evening. She _never_ attended formal events – she absolutely abhorred running into any of her old school mates. Jane no longer feared nor cared for their opinions any longer, but it would be awkward. And she hated awkward situations. She had enough of them for a lifetime – and she was still considered a fledgling, much like Thor, Loki, Sif, and the others, by Aesir standards.

Why did she have to live so long?

Grumbling under her breath, Jane turned back to continue her duties when it hit her….

She had nothing to wear.

* * *

Well, here is my first attempt at a Thor fic! If any of the people following me see this, I have no doubt that they will be upset. Considering I have not worked on my other fic for quite a while. Still working on it. I don't know why my fingers flew away with this, but I will not look a gift horse in the mouth (it has been MONTHS since I last wrote for pleasure rather than school). I absolutely adore Jane x Loki and I have read so many good ones lately. I hope I have started out on the right foot! Not quite sure if I want to make it M or not. I don't even know how long this fic is going to be - maybe just a two-shot. Eh, we'll see what happens.

As for some info about this fic: obviously this is an alternate universe where Jane grew up as an Aesir on Asgard. She is the Goddess of Truth - her talent is a natural-based instinct and something she cannot control. Her talent obviously draws out the truth from the person she asks a question to. This ability has often isolated her as a child growing up. I tried to stay true to her character - a scholar, intellectual, perfectionist, and compassionate. I can't wait to write Loki - I hope I can do him justice.

I look forward to constructive criticism - if I have something wrong or mispelled (like a name), please don't hesitate to tell me. I want to be accurate.

Please leave a review! I'd love to know what you think!

-Miss Artemis


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